“Thanks, son,” Cristián said to Finn. “I need all the help I can get. Calder and Jace have to stay on top of Justice so it doesn’t look like anything is different. With Duke staying close to Alex, that just leaves a bunch of old guys to wrangle the women and children.”

Finn didn’t fall for Cris’s ploy. He smirked and rolled his eyes. “Old guys? Get real. You and Matt and Ben could kick anyone’s ass.”

“Take the compliment and shut yer yapper,” Cris drawled.

Finn gave a hearty laugh. It always amused him when non-New Englanders tried on what they assumed was a Boston accent. He gave his sister’s father-in-law a conspiratorial wink. “I’ll take care of feeding this lot. Meggie says Carmen will self-soothe by cooking, and that’s great, but she shouldn’t have to run a cafeteria.”

“How’s Remington holding up?” he asked quietly.

“She’s gone to the hospital to take over with Domineau. I’m glad too. It gives her something else to focus on.”

“I hear you two moved into the casita. It’s good that you’re here, together.”

He couldn’t have said it better, and added, “It’s just till after the New Year while Cal’s crew works on the renovation. No complaints, though. I don’t care if it takes till spring. That little bungalow is cozy-comfortable.”

“And romantic,” the cheeky senior drawled. “Get a little fire going and crack open a nice bottle of wine. Never know what might happen.”

“Is that advice, sir? May I quote you directly?”

Cris laughed and nudged Finn with his shoulder. “Just tell me you’re ready.”

“Ready?”

“I know your dad, Finn. He’ll be expecting you to go into it with a ring handy. None of this dillydallying crap. If you want the girl, I suggest being prepared with more than birth control.”

“Oh, good lord,” Finn muttered as his face heated. “It’s ridiculous how many people know my personal business.”

He got a hearty thump on the back and a grin from the senior Marquez. “Just shows you how much you two are loved. Don’t discount the support. If times get tough, you’ll be singing a different tune.”

Finn looked around. They were in Alex’s den office where Cris set up a whiteboard with everyone’s name and their assigned bedroom. The support he talked about was evident everyplace he looked. It permeated the air and kept them all going.

Meghan marched along the main hallway of the Villa’s guest wing and typed notes into her phone. Almost everything was ready, but she still needed a couple of things. In particular, towels in every color—that way she could assign each bedroom a color and make laundry easier.

She checked the time. Zero hour was approaching, and everyone would begin arriving. That was also when she and Cristián would head into the compound for a coordination meeting—her last chance to see her husband before the assembled team he was calling Wolfpack went dark. After that, their movements and activities would be clandestine and top secret.

Hurrying to the other side of the house, she felt a pang of anxiety entering what was going to be the twins’ new nursery—two large bedrooms separated with an ingenious sliding wall and connected by a clever Jack and Jill bathroom. Caleb had given her and Alex everything from their wish list for the unique space designed specifically for Aiden and Stevie. A suite of rooms that could grow as they did, affording the closeness they needed while still giving them privacy.

She and Alex decided to wait till the holidays to move them from their temporary nursery. They were going to put big pink and blue bows on the hallway doors and make the new rooms a special gift.

Right now, one of the rooms, Aiden’s because it was painted a soothing dusty blue, was outfitted with a hospital bed, a walker that had a little seat, and an electric recliner—all the things Domineau would need when she was released from the hospital.

Stevie’s room was also transformed with a fancy adjustable bed and a similar recliner. This was for Angie. The doctor agreed with Parker that under the circumstances, with Angie’s accident and her husband going out of town on business this close to the end of the pregnancy, it was wise to suggest bed rest and stress-free living.

Her babys’ rooms were now a mini-clinic.

With everything mostly organized on the second floor, she hurried down the back stairs and grabbed a ripe banana off the fruit stand before going to find Zeus. Meghan found her comfortably lounging on her fancy doggie sofa bed in the breezeway between the main house and Carmen’s separate quarters.

She plopped onto the pillow chair she kept for visiting with the beloved dog and peeled the banana. “Dr. Hunter is stopping by after dinner to see how you’re doing.”

Zeus casually ate the chunks of banana from Meghan’s palm and pretended to listen.

“All your friends will be here while Daddy is gone. If anyone doesn’t behave, they’ll have to go stay in the kennel.”

When she told this part of the story later, she was going to insist the majestic black Lab snickered. Zeus never had a problem with misbehaving pups getting banished to the doggie hotel. She expected her canine kingdom to mind their manners. Just like Alex and his kingdom.

Alex. She sighed heavily and scratched the dog behind her ears. Seeing her husband in a new light was eye-opening. All the things Draegyn once said to her about the emotional cost and aftermath of Alex’s service felt prescient and relevant to their current situation.

He filled her in when he came home to shower before locking himself away in the study. Discovering after all this time that the bomb blast that killed so many and ended his military service was the result of a fellow officer’s insane jealousy had shaken her man—deeply.

Zeus studied Meghan’s face with her beautiful, soulful eyes. She and the dog had been on the same side from the very beginning. They both fiercely loved Alex, so it was curiously soothing to confide in her.

“I’m afraid this place is going to seem like a summer camp,” she laughingly informed the Lab. “Lots of activity, endless kitchen activity, kids everywhere, and exhausted adults trying to keep up.”

The dog licked her hand. She took it as a sign of solidarity and continued sharing her wandering thoughts out loud.

“I was a camp counselor. Two years running. Loved every second of it.”

She hadn’t thought about Camp Sierra in a long, long time. The memory made her smile.

“The first year I worked, I was a junior counselor, and let me tell you what!” She chuckled with happiness at the unexpected flashback. “They ran our butts off. But my second time fell between high school and college. That year, I was a lead counselor.” She stroked the dog’s fur. “That’s when I decided that being a gym teacher was my calling.”

Camp Sierra was a typical summer in the mountains camp. Nothing was any different about it than the thousands of camps that proliferate across America when schools let out for the summer. Sierra sat on a lake where the kids kayaked and learned to handle canoes. They swam and played water sports. There were volleyball and tennis courts. A softball field. Woods to explore and mountain bikes to ride.

There were also the usual suspects. Arts and crafts, campfire sing-alongs, variety shows, a mess hall, and cabins spread out around a well-kept campus.

What made Sierra different were the kids. They were all overweight and had a doctor’s note saying get this kid up and moving. It wasn’t designed to help kids lose weight. There were other camps for that purpose. Camp Sierra was about being a kid, making memories, and having a great summer. With every camper in the same boat, nobody felt insecure. Kids weren’t allowed to isolate or lurk in the shadows.

Meghan loved Sierra because she’d had her own struggles with weight. The camp’s broad philosophy about happiness, health, and a positive self-identity spoke to her soul. From then on, she dived headlong into learning everything she could in order to be the best phys ed teacher on the planet. She held a master’s degree and knew more than a little about sports medicine and kinesiology.

Sierra also helped her form the skills needed to be an effective teacher and leader. She knew how to organize groups and assign tasks.

“Finally,” she muttered to herself as Zeus listened. “Something I can do.”

The thought filled her with resolve and soaring confidence. She not only could do this, but Meghan also had no doubt whatsoever that she could do it in style. Excitement got her brain clicking.

“Oh, Zeus. Don’t you see? In a way, I get to be the camp director. When I look at it like that, this is a no-brainer!”

She kissed the dog, whispered words of doggie love, and stood. There was fresh water in her bowl, and she’d had a snack, so the recovering pup would be good for a while.

“All right, girl. I have to motor. Lots to do. See ya later.”

Zeus wagged her tail as Meghan waved and dashed into the house with a head full of plans.

The atmosphere in the large workroom was subdued. Rafe felt a part of and separate from the group milling around. He was mentally present when he needed to be but shut down for the other times. His attention wavered because of Domineau. He couldn’t wipe the image of her battered face and body from his mind.

He caught Jason’s eye from across the room. Domineau had spent many an evening at the Cameron’s. Lacey went the extra mile to make her feel included and part of the family, so Rafe knew what was happening now pained his old friend. It wasn’t okay that Bracken’s people went after a team member plus the wife of a friend.

“Dallas,” an Australian accent drawled.

He glanced up to find Ethan standing over him, and grunted, “What?”

“You okay, mate?”

Rafe chortled. “Do you try to make everything you say sound like a tourism commercial, or are you just naturally a sissy?”

Ethan grinned. “Maybe when this is over, we can get together.” He winked. “You know—throw some shrimp on the barbie.”

That did it. He almost toppled over with laughter at the guy’s Americanized quip. A quip no badass Aussie would ever utter in public.

It felt good to laugh, but Rafe’s amusement evaporated quickly when the Major walked into their midst and motioned for everyone to gather around.

“Heads-up, gentlemen. Drae, read the names.”

Sinjin stepped forward, looking every inch the steely-eyed warrior from bygone days.

“Codename Wolf Pack. Everyone here knows Alex.” He cleared his throat and pointed at each man one by one.

“Brody Jensen. Leo Saldana. Duke Winston. Cruz Dolavi. Martin Smith. Parker Sullivan.”

As he went through the names, each guy raised his hand but said nothing.

“Jon Corrigan. Rafael D’Alessandro. Ethan Truscott. Jason Cameron. Oliver Davies and moi, Draegyn St. John.”

Alex started talking the second Sinjin finished. “We have more information. The target is in place. Once we start moving south of the border, he’ll know we’re coming.”

Cam spoke up. “I have a Mexican contact who can get us from Guatemala to Costa Rica. That’s where we split up. Timber Wolves go straight through to Medellin. My guy, Manuel Santos, is arranging some assistance. There won’t be any problem getting whatever you need. One less syndicate is okay with him. The Red Wolves are going to make an appearance in Panama. Has everyone seen The Lord of the Rings movies?”

Nods followed the startled expressions at the odd question. “Good.” Sinjin snickered in a less than friendly way. “Then you’ll get the reference. The Eye of Mordor will swing to Panama and remain focused on the Red team while the Timber Wolves set the stage for the finale.”

“Brilliant,” someone muttered.

Cam agreed with an answering nod. “This guy is a one-dimensional thinker. He’ll see the team coming straight at him and miss everything else.” He let the men chew on that for a minute and then handed the floor back to Drae.

“Let me be clear, gentlemen. These guys don’t play by the rules because there aren’t any. The target will do everything possible to remain standing, which is why we’re simply going to burn his entire organization to the ground. Picking him off and sending him home in a body bag won’t do it. All of it has to burn. It’s the only way.”

Alex interjected something that brought home the seriousness of their enterprise.

“No escape. None. I want the takedown to be public, dramatic, and deadly. If he goes down with the ship, fine. But if he doesn’t and finds a way back to the States, there can’t be any hole for him to hide in. Once the operation in Columbia starts, Sawyer is going to leak the ambassador’s name and toss out some gossip that will unleash the media. This guy is toast. Understand? No quarter.”

Oliver spoke up. “We ran some names through the system that we got from a conspirator. As we cross into Mexico, the proper people will be given a heads-up, and they’ll be neutralized. Target will see us coming.”

Rafe wasn’t surprised by the man’s snarl. The Major General had a longstanding hostility toward opportunists and carpetbaggers. In Afghanistan, the local leaders had itchy palms. Gaining their cooperation required cold, hard cash. How could peace ever be achievable when people who are only out for themselves fucked it up for everyone else? The situation they confronted was similar. Personal power accumulated over time by criminal means. Taking this fucker down was going to feel damn good.

Duke shared some operational details. “We leave in the morning. With Cam’s guy handling the assist, we’ll clear the border at Nogales and stay together as we move south. Expect speed. We won’t be sightseeing. By the time we reach the separation point, the Medellin resources will be in place. Any questions at this point?”

“What happens if one of us is stopped at the border?” Cruz Dolavi asked the question. Rafe didn’t know the dude very well, but his face was familiar.

Cam answered with a dry chuckle. “There won’t be any problems. Manuel will see to a smooth crossing.”

“I think that’s enough for now,” Alex said as he stood and looked at everyone. “Now isn’t the time for speeches. You know what needs doing. This guy is a traitor—there’s no other way to put it. His mistake was testing Justice.”

A grumble rolled through the room as they all muttered and murmured. Rafe had a special dislike for the powerful, and if they’d never served, his hostility tripled, so politicians were high on the list. Everyone hated Bracken. He was a ruthless climber, clamoring toward some imagined summit over the lives and bodies of his fellow citizens—the very people he swore an oath to. He was a repulsive motherfucker, and after what he made happen to Domineau and Angie, Rafe was going to enjoy taking him down.

Alex saw Meghan and his father the second they popped up on the security cameras. He quickly stopped what he was doing and hurried to meet them.

“Hey,” he called out when they came around a corner and headed toward him. “Thanks for coming right away.”

He shook his dad’s hand and kissed his wife. It felt so normal.

“Let’s go in the lounge,” he told them. “Can I get you anything? Soda? Water?”

Meghan shook her head and gave him a dazzling smile. She was teasing when she said, “Parker isn’t allowed to have soda.”

They all laughed at the family joke, and that was a good thing.

They sat with him and Meghan on the sofa and his dad in a chair. Despite the unusual circumstances, there wasn’t a lot of tension in the air. He read this as shorthand for their faith in him and used their certitude to calm his swirling feelings.

“I’ll be hiring your wife out,” his father quipped.

“What does that mean?” He chuckled while Meghan laughed.

“It means she can organize people and schedules like a goddamn pro.”

His bombshell spouse blew his dad a kiss for the compliment, and joked, “Teacher, remember?”

“Oh, I get it.” Alex chortled. “Will there be announcements every morning over a PA system?”

“Ah-ha-ha,” Meghan laughed gleefully. “Even better! Daily itineraries delivered with breakfast. And Carmen’s working out a laundry schedule. I think Tori and her mom are designing T-shirts. We’re still working on a catchy name for this adventure. Camp Justice is high in the running.”

His fraying emotions eased. Her words and playful demeanor helped quiet the turmoil in his gut. He smiled and chuckled.

“Don’t worry, son. We’ve got this,” his father asserted in a determined voice.

“Thank you. I don’t know what else to say.” Alex wasn’t normally tongue-tied, but this situation was testing everything he thought he knew. About himself and the bigger world.

Meghan reached for his hand and squeezed. “You’re always there for us. The whole family. This is our chance to be there for you.”

Emotion squeezed his throat. He wanted to assure them that everything was going to be fine, but he didn’t. The Justice Wolfpack was journeying to one of the most dangerous and corrupt places on earth. The powerful cartels inside Columbia operated in a cesspool of greed. The ambassador chose it for the place of his last stand because an assassination here and there was commonplace.

“How’s Angie? I’m afraid to ask Parker. He’s somewhat off balance right now.”

His father tried to reassure him, and he loved him for the effort.

“She’s demanding to be released. Ben is there now to bring her home.”

“She’ll want to see Parker,” Meghan quietly reminded him. “What do you want us to do?”

“I presume everyone will sneak in a brief final goodbye.”

Her harsh gasp filled the air. “Don’t say final. It’s just goodbye for now.”

“Right. Sorry. What I started to say was we agreed to stay away from the house because we don’t want to confuse or frighten the older kids. If Angie can come here, that’d make things easier all around.”

His dad stood and touched Alex’s shoulder. “I’ll take care of it. Let me text Ben and Parker and give you two a moment alone.”

Meghan was ready with a loving smile after his dad left the lounge. Her determination to maintain a calm front took a huge weight off his mind. When the going got tough, Meghan Marquez got tougher.

“Alex,” she murmured and pulled his hand to her breast. “Look at me.”

He met her startling emerald green eyes and didn’t look away.

“This thing was already in motion before we met. Chances are, what we’re facing now was always going to happen. You didn’t go looking for trouble. Being on a traitor’s radar sort of makes you a hero, and if not that, at least a patriot. Don’t dwell on the what-if. You have a mission, and this time, it’s not just for God and country. This time, it’s personal.”

He swept her into a fierce kiss. Her words crept into every corner of his being. This time, it was personal. When he said he’d kill to protect his family, those weren’t just words. Cam, Drae, Parker, Rafe, Roman, Brody, and Duke felt the same way. So did the rest of his Wolf Pack. At the end of the day, family, in whatever form or fashion, was all that mattered.

Finn waited on an uncomfortable chair in the hallway outside Domineau’s room. Across from him stood an imposing bodyguard who made no effort to appear friendly.

Nurses came and went from the private hospital suite that Alex arranged. Each time the door opened, he looked up expectantly, hoping it would be Remy.

He checked his watch. It was getting late. A nurse had already told him that despite demanding she be allowed to stay, Remy would have to leave when visiting hours ended because Miss Rivera needed to rest. She was in good hands and would be all right.

Fifteen minutes past the end of visiting time, a nurse marched Remy from Domineau’s room. The defiant expression on her face turned to anguish when she saw him.

He hurried forward and caught her as she went to pieces in his arms.

“Oh my god, Finn. What they did to her. It’s worse than I imagined.”

She was trembling and desperately clutching at him. He had to get her away from here so she could settle down.

“Let’s go to the cafeteria and grab a coffee.”

“No.” She rubbed at her nose and sniffed. “Take me home, please. I don’t want to be here anymore.”

When he offered her a supportive hug, she pressed against him and sighed heavily. Talking wasn’t on the agenda. She needed a chance to decompress, so he took her hand and led her to the parking lot and his truck. It wasn’t until she was buckling in that she asked any questions.

“Do you know what’s happening?”

“Uh, I believe the expression all hands on deck applies. I’m assuming we’re at the don’t give a fuck anymore portion of the proceedings because Zorro has put together something called a Wolfpack. My understanding is they’re bound for the land of drug smuggling and gun running. For those of us staying here, our job is to maintain and keep things running smoothly. With Brody, Rafe, and Domineau absent from the agency, Jace will have his hands full, so I’d expect you’ll be pitching in outside the motor pool.”

They drove in silence while she digested this information.

“Rafe put a ring on it.”

Finn did a fast double take and peered at her in the darkness. “What did you say?”

She sniggered and gave him a saucy look. “I said,” she rudely barked as though he was language and hearing impaired, “that the bald dude came prepared with a ring.”

He heard the word prepared and stifled a laugh. Wasn’t that precisely what his dad and Cristián gossiped about? That Finn should be prepared?

They had no idea. Not only was he at the ready with condoms should unstoppable hanky-panky break out, but he was also prepared to tag the lady as his should the appropriate moment arise.

“According to Domineau,” she pithily continued, “Rafe said she could have whatever wedding she wanted. I gather from some drug-induced rambling that she’s leaning toward a Disney princess wedding.”

“Er, uh, what the hell is that?”

Remy laughed. “I know, right? I had to Google that shit to see if it was a real thing.”

“Is it?”

“Oh, god yes.” She cackled. “Disney World has a fairy-tale wedding thing going on with a fancy chapel and Cinderella’s coach. It’s crazy.”

What she described was hard to associate with Domineau. It took real effort to work up a visual of the lady warrior in a big wedding dress. Imagining her and Rafe in a horse-drawn Cinderella coach was too mind-boggling to consider.

To each his own, he guessed.

Remy remained tight-lipped and quiet as he drove through the Villa security checkpoint. She barely acknowledged the guard at the gate. He couldn’t tell what she was thinking.

The stretch of private roadway behind the main house that led to the casita was dark and bumpy. He’d identified several holes he planned to have filled in so the drive was smoother.

He’d left a couple of lights on inside the little adobe house. As they pulled into the parking spot, he took in the view, and commented, “This place has magic.” He turned his head and looked at Remy to find her gazing at the house. “Do you feel it?” he asked quietly.

“Yes,” she answered without any hesitation. “When I was unpacking, I kept thinking about what a special little place this is.”

Finn hopped from the truck and hurried to the passenger door to help her down. Ordinarily, he might have snickered and made some awful jokes about Alex’s crazy security when he had to press his thumb on a biometric sensor to disarm the alarm—but considering everything that’d happened, it would be crass and disrespectful.

FiFi ran toward her mommy when they came through the door. Remy picked her up and shivered. “It’s cold.”

“I’ll start a fire,” he announced. “There are two plates in the fridge from the big house. Carmen made tamales. Feel like eating? We can put them in the microwave.”

“Yeah, sure,” she mumbled. “I’ll do it.”

At the archway to the kitchen, she stopped and gave him a weak smile before putting the dog in her bed. “A fire would be nice.”

Years of scouting taught him how to construct a decent wood fire. FiFi watched as he gathered what he needed. Lacey suggested a three-log stack—nothing too big. She’d lived in the casita when she first came to Arizona and had all sorts of practical suggestions.

When a modest blaze was going, he went into the little kitchen to check on Remy. He found her at the sink. She was filling a kettle, but the water was overflowing. Finn reached around her shoulder to turn off the flow. Her face was a mask of pain and anguish.

Taking the kettle from her trembling hands, he scooped her into his arms and walked into the living room. The dog didn’t react because she was happily snoring. He settled them on the sofa and pulled her favorite throw blanket over her legs. She didn’t resist sitting on his lap.

He held her against him and searched for the right thing to say. He found it in a story from his childhood.

“Da made his way up the ranks in the police department. He walked a beat and worked his ass off to make detective. I remember the early years. The undercover stuff drove Ma nuts. She baked when her nerves couldn’t take it. I think that’s why I grew up thinking her kitchen was a special place. There was this one time when she went on a tear. Every day, it was something else. Cakes, pies, cookies, jelly rolls. There was so much that she would put two brownies in my lunch. I was too young to understand that my father was working on a dangerous case and that her kitchen activities were how she handled the stress. It wasn’t unusual for most of the stuff to end up in the trash once Da came home and the danger passed.”

“Your mom’s brave. I don’t think that life is for me. The stress would be too much.”

He stroked her back. “Yeah, I hear you. I think when a person’s work is dangerous, the people around them bear much of the brunt. This feels that way. It’s scary to see your friend like that.”

She burrowed into him and held tight. “I thought Domineau was invincible. After what she survived as a kid.”

“Nobody’s bulletproof, baby. And Domineau has always known she was living on the edge. What happened sucked, but let’s focus on something good. Like Rafe stepping up. She’ll need her friends as she recovers. Imagine how she’s going to feel when the drugs wear off, and she realizes Rafe is in harm’s way and she’s on the sidelines.”

“You’re right.”

“Remy,” he murmured against her hair.

“Hmm?”

“Do you ever think about the future? About us?”

Her heavy sigh worried him, and then she lifted her head and looked him in the eye. “All the time.”

“What do you see?”

“I’m still working on that part,” she admitted.

“Anything specific?”

“Don’t hate me,” she whined, “but the having kids thing might be more than I can handle. With my past and all.”

She didn’t have to tell him that because he already knew. Part of her trauma was the result of forced decisions and desperate acting out. He understood and wanted to do whatever was right for her.

“Babe, let’s start at the beginning and not jump ahead.”

“By beginning, what do you mean?”

He weighed his options. For a while now, he felt that a big gesture was called for. Something symbolic that she’d always remember. Jace beat him to it with the fancy proposal and crazy honeymoon marriage consummation plan. He couldn’t compete with that, but he did have one card up his magician’s sleeve.

Lifting her off his lap, he situated her on the sofa and got on one knee.

“Oh god, what’s happening?” she cried in alarm.

“Remington Juliet Bisset. You rock my world, and I’m pretty sure I rock yours. It’s a beautiful night, this is a magical place, and I think we should make it official. So what do you think? Wanna change your name and learn how to make brisket?”

She literally gawked at him. Her face was adorable as she squinted and stared at him as though he’d grown a second mouth.

“Wait, what? Is this a proposal or some weird Irish thing having to do with food?”

FiFi trotted toward them and sat at his side. She raised her paws and sat up. He chuckled at his sidekick and smirked.

“See? Even your dog thinks it’s a good idea.”

“What’s a good idea?” she barked with exasperation and flailing arms. “What are you doing, Finn?”

He reached into his pocket and found a small velvet pouch that he withdrew and showed her. “I’ve been carrying this around for months, waiting for the right moment. This feels right.”

Her mouth dropped open. He loosened the drawstring ribbon and dumped the ring into his palm. “Simple and elegant, like you. And there’s a fleur-de-lis in the setting for my Frenchy.”

That last part did it. She laughed and bent to look at the ring. “Seriously? Where?”

He pointed at the distinctive design on two sides of the four prongs holding the center diamond.

“Oh, well, shit.” She giggled. “I guess if there’s a fleur-de-lis.” She held out her hand and wiggled her fingers. “Well, come on. Hurry up. Carmen’s tamales will dry out if we don’t eat them soon.”

He barked with joyful laughter. “Fancy designs on a ring and bitching about tamales in the microwave. Sounds about right for us.”

He gently pushed the ring onto her finger and grinned so wide his face hurt. FiFi yipped as the ring slid into place.

“Goddammit, Beantown.” Remy giggled through what he hoped were happy tears. “I had plans to seduce you, and I even bought some cheesy lingerie to make it special.”

“Hey,” he told her with more than a little pleasure, “think of it like this. We waited until we got engaged. That’s special, right?”

“Oh boy,” she mumbled with her hand held up to view the ring. “We’re engaged.”

He stood and kissed her for a long time. She looked a bit shell-shocked, so he made a joke about dry tamales and shooed her to the little table by the fireplace. “Sit your sweet ass down. Your fiancé will serve.”

And then he dashed into the kitchen to see what his options were.

Remy stared at the diamond ring until her eyes complained and she had to blink. It sparkled beautifully in the subtle light and dancing flames from the fireplace.

She showed FiFi and asked what she thought. The little charmer sniffed the new jewelry and licked Remy’s fingers.

The panic she expected and the sensation of walls closing in never happened. She didn’t have to wonder why. Finn’s caring of her, sometimes tender and other times fierce, gave her the emotional space she needed to put the past behind her and reach for a future she thought was forever out of her reach. He made it okay to love him and not fear what that meant.

The noises coming from the kitchen didn’t sound like cooking. She had no time to consider what that meant when, all of a sudden, her ginger hottie came strutting from the back with a guitar and a grin.

Belting out an enthusiastic, “Marry You,” he stood on the furniture and put on quite a show for the Bruno Mars song. She clapped and laughed along at his crazy antics.

When he finished and put down the guitar, she flew into his arms. “For that wonderful cherry on the ice-cream sundae of this proposal, you get a choice.”

“A choice?” he asked with a gigantic grin.

“Yes. In lingerie. White, black, or pink.”

“That’s easy,” he assured her. “Pink.”

“Really?”

“Oh, absolutely.”

“Then pink it is.”

“Tamales first, though.”

She had to laugh. Here she was all but dropping bread crumbs to the bed, and he was making her eat. The smile in her heart reached her face, and she was sure for the first time in forever that everything was going to be all right.

Finn watched his sleeping fiancée and counted his blessings. His spontaneous proposal might have lacked finesse and a romantic subplot, but he was even surer now that his timing had been perfect. By putting a ring on it as she so quaintly put it before they were intimate made what just happened in the cozy four-poster bed something special.

She hadn’t been kidding about the sexy lingerie. The pink underwear had names, but he was a guy and frankly wasn’t going to remember what anything was called. All he knew was that when she came out of the bathroom looking like a naughty Victoria’s Secret model and turned on the heat of a boner-inducing seduction, he was the happiest and luckiest man alive.

They’d done the warm-up and extended foreplay for months, so when it came time, they got right down to it.

Remy teased and taunted while he salivated. When she stood as he sat on the sofa and put her foot beside him with a demand that he peel her stockings off, he almost lost it.

Naked at last, he luxuriated in the skin-to-skin contact with the woman who turned his life upside down and inside out. They fell together onto the bed in a tangle of limbs and made good use of every square inch of the mattress.

Unfettered by the past, she was more woman than he dreamed possible. Gorgeous, soft, and unbearably sexy, she was with him every step of the way as they gave in at last to the roaring passions that engulfed them.

The condoms stayed in his wallet. They weren’t necessary. Their relationship was fiercely monogamous and had been for a long time even without them having gone all the way. So when she announced that she was taking the pill, there wasn’t much need for health reports or worry.

It was a first for him—the absence of a condom—and nothing prepared him for how mind-blowing the initial penetration felt. Finn groaned when he sank into the warm welcome of her body. As far as he was concerned, nothing would ever be the same again. He had no idea if leprechauns actually mated for life, but he was one hundred percent sure as he moved inside her that he’d never be with anyone but Remy. They were meant for each other.

For her part of their intense lovemaking, she showed herself to be deeply passionate and giving. When she wrapped her beautiful legs around his waist and gyrated under him, he stroked with building ardor until he thought his heart might burst from the overwhelming emotion.

She cried his name when a climax claimed her. He felt like a god as her body quivered and shook. The way her sweet pussy massaged his cock was imprinted on his soul. It was, simply put, beautiful to see and feel.

He loved her hands on his ass as she urged him to the brink of a powerful orgasm. The act of coming inside her with no barrier moved him. It felt sacred as he pulsed, groaned, and released. She squeezed him with her legs and held him for a long time in the aftermath.

They were lovers now. Engaged lovers. Remington Bisset was finally, officially his. He couldn’t wait to share their joy with everyone, starting with his parents. She sometimes tiptoed around the subject of her family, but he wasn’t worried. This thing between them was strong and right. Now that they were taking steps toward a future, he was sure everything would just fall into place.

She deserved that. To be happy and enjoy what they had. There’d be time after the new year to make plans, so for now, he was going to squeeze every drop of joy out of their change in status and love her as hard as he could.